Phoenix Coqui Brings Puerto Rican Food Truck to the Valley

It all started in Puerto Rico. Juan Alberto Ayala, a native of the island, and Alexis Carbajal, a first generation American met in Puerto Rico. Their mutual love and appreciation for food brought them together and ignited the flame of what would be their greatest accomplishment. In 2014, they moved to Phoenix and after a year of living in the Valley, the couple decided that the next big step in their journey was to start a business.

For the pair, the decision was obvious, a business offering Puerto Rican cuisine. They wasted no time and quickly came up with a name. After several ideas were put on the table, the name Phoenix Coqui stuck. Without hesitation, they registered their business and began saving for what would soon become their biggest project together. It wasn’t until late 2016 that the duo decided their passion for Puerto Rican cuisine would be conceptualized as a food truck, and moved full speed to make their dreams a reality.

Juan (left), Alexis (right)

It was because of their big dreams that Alexis and Juan decided to invest in their business. They wanted to understand the proper way to set a strong foundation. Phoenix Coqui became part of the 8th cohort of the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator program in February 2017. They attribute much of their business structure to the program. Through the program, the co-founders had the opportunity to develop a business plan and learn a variety of skills such as finances, social media, and pricing from local experts. They even had the opportunity to network with other Hispanic business owners they could count on.

Phoenix Coqui celebrated its grand opening in June 2017. Hundreds of people showed up to support Arizona’s first Puerto Rican food truck. A number of people who came out that day was astounding creating a line that wrapped around the parking lot of The Rock in central Phoenix.

“We’re so happy to have launched the first Puerto Rican food truck in Phoenix, and to have every single one of our clients tries the seasoning and flavor of our dishes,” said Alexis. “We feel fortunate to work every day towards giving clients a unique experience through our menu.”

Phoenix Coqui has big plans for the next five years. They look forward to adding a second food truck, to becoming one of the Valley’s favorite stops for food, and to increase their following. However, their biggest hope is for the local community to enjoy authentic Puerto Rican cuisine regardless of the distance.

“We want people to be able to enjoy the experience that we offer with our food truck and catering,” said Juan. “We don't want distance to be a barrier for people to enjoy the island’s authentic cuisine.”